Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Tamim Iqbal to lead Bangladesh as Mashrafe Mortaza ruled out with injury

Mortaza was widely reckoned to announce retirement after World Cup but the talismanic pacer decided to continue despite dipping form with the ball. He was chosen to lead the side which didn't have the likes of Shakib Al Hassan and Liton Das. However, the team now has become further bereft of star names as Mortaza has been ruled out after sustaining an injury to his left hamstring during a net session at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka. 

"Mortaza injured his left hamstring during training today. He received immediate MSK ultrasound examination which has revealed a grade 1 injury. It is a recurrent injury that could take around three to four weeks to recover from. Therefore, he is ruled out from participation in sporting activity for a month," Debashish Chowdhury, the team's chief physician confirmed.

In Mortaza's absence, Tamim Iqbal, who had earlier led Bangladesh in a Test match, will lead the side. To cover Mortaza's absence, Bangladesh selectors called up Taskin Ahmed who was dropped from the World Cup squad due to bad form. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will also lose the services of all-rounder Mohammed Saifuddin who has also been ruled out of the series as a result of his back problems. Farhad Reza has been brought in as his replacement.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play three ODIs on July 26, 28 and 31 respectively.